


Come to me

by cloudnymphs



Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-22
Updated: 2020-06-22
Packaged: 2021-03-04 00:47:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,581
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24864784
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cloudnymphs/pseuds/cloudnymphs
Summary: Goku is forced to acknowledge his trauma, yet is ashamed to share this with his friends or family. In turn, he finds himself confiding in someone he feels won't judge him; that is Shin.OrShin plays a makeshift therapist, and finds he and Goku are more alike than they think. Goku in turn learns to open up.
Relationships: Son Goku/Supreme Kai | Shin (Dragon Ball), Supreme Kai | Shin / Son Goku
Comments: 2
Kudos: 21





	Come to me

**Author's Note:**

> one—this takes place after super. I like to think that Shin checks up on all the contestants and Goku is one of them. Two—I am shocked that more people don’t ship this. oh well—a first time for everything.

Shin exhaled, his knuckles looming over the front door as he braced himself to knock.

He was rather hesitant that evening for numerous reasons. It wasn’t as if Shin was nervous, or frightened to speak to Goku or his family; after all he had grown rather close to Goku during his ordeals. Because of that, Shin wanted to check up on Goku last following the Tournament of Power, to spend more time with him and make sure he was okay.

In general, Shin took it upon himself to check on all of the contestants to see how their mental health faired after putting their lives on the line. The last two were Piccolo and Vegeta. Vegeta needed some time alone, Piccolo (another person whom Shin had grown close to) had been spending time with Gohan and his family, thus he felt alright.

Last on that list was of course Goku.

And that brought Shin right back to where he was now; standing outside of the Son residence. Like he acknowledge to himself prior, Shin wasn’t nervous about meeting the Son family however, something seemed off. There was a shift in energy as if Goku’s normal aura was absent. Or if not, there was clearly a change.

Pondering on it just a bit longer, Shin knocked, preparing for Goku to greet him.

He jumped when he saw ChiChi open the door, and quickly inclined forward out of respect. “Ms. Chi Chi!” He exclaimed. “Sorry to disturb you—I was just wondering if…” He paused for a while, looking at the smile on Chi-Chi’s face but easily saw through it. Just as he felt a shift in Goku’s energy, there was something rather off about hers. Perhaps it was sadness, or anger—he couldn’t tell, at least not now. Still he worried.

“If Goku was home? That’s what you were wondering? I’m assuming you’re one of his—friends?”

“Yes, but I um—” Shin already knew he was making the situation award but pressed on anyway. “Are you alright Miss Chi Chi?”

She rose an eyebrow, an expression of shock visible on her face. Her eyes, prior stern in their glare toward Shin softened. She gave a genuine smile, nodded and spoke. “I’m alright, thank you for asking. Really. Goku actually hasn’t been home in a few days, not after that tournament. He was with Bulma but now he’s run off. I don’t know when he’ll be back honestly!”

Shin already began to search for Goku’s energy.

“Thank you Ms. Chi Chi. I’m really just here to check on him after the Tournament. I know there was an immense amount of pressure put on everyone. I’m glad you’re doing alright, perhaps I can find Goku and speak to him. Would you like me to bring him back if I find him?”

Chi Chi shook her head. “No, that wouldn’t be wise. Not now. Thank you—Shin, I believe is your name?”

Shin paused in slight confusion, wondering why she wasn’t aware he was the Supreme Kai yet still knew his name. Then dawned upon him that she’d seen him at a tournamen, when he was to fight Piccolo all those months ago…and Buu destroyed the world. She only knew him as Shin, and Shin thought that was for the best—at least now.

“Well then, Ms. Chi Chi, I’ll see you again.” And he intended to. He had grown close to Bulma, Vegeta , Goku and the others but there was something about Chi Chi that seemed isolated. He wanted to grow close to her.

Within a few seconds, he had locked on to Goku’s energy.

He wasn’t too far away, in a distant forest seemingly just waiting there. Shin focused, took a breath and transported, appearing in a grove of tall trees just barely visible as the sun had begun to set overhead. Confused, and not seeing Goku around, he turned to get a better view of the area. 

Just as he opened his mouth and prepared to yell Goku’s name, a strange energy began to approach him. Shin nearly jumped when he felt a hand on his shoulder and turning around, Goku stood there—both a look of confusion but somewhat relief on his face.

“Hey Supreme Kai! What are you doing all the way out here?” Goku laughed.

Shin looked around, then back at Goku who wore a disheveled appearance. He was dirty, his clothes were rugged and unsurprisingly, he was sweating. As Shin looked further ahead, he saw some of the trees demolished, in the distance there were boulders nearly destroyed and nearly turned to rubble.

“I could ask you the same thing but…I think I’ve answered my question.” Shin sighed. “You’re training I’m guessing.”

“Caught me red handed! Is there anything you need though—still don’t know why you’re all the way out here!’

Shin nodded. “Ever since the tournament, I’ve been checking up on all the constants. You were the last one—”

Goku chuckled again. “I guess I’m no to high up there on the priority list!”

“On the contrary, I saved the best for last…I wanted to have a longer conversation with you, since I feel you were impacted the most.” Shin took a step forward, placing a comforting hand on Goku’s arm. “There was a lot of pressure on you, and even though you said you didn’t care…I just wanted to make sure everything was alright. The truth is Goku your energy is off…like badly. When I sensed you in the past, you were always positive and jovial. Something is just…very un-Goku like if that makes sense. Like a cloud, or a blockage—it isn’t you.”

Shin took a step back as he felt Goku’s arm tense beneath his touch. He gazed up at Goku, and slowly saw that façade crumble beneath him. Goku’s smile did not falter, but his expression did. He chuckled again, this time dryly and crossed his arms.

“I’m not surprised. You know _everything_ it seems so no use lying to you. You’d probably read my mind.”

Shin shook his head. “I—I don’t do that anymore! I figured it was invasive—I can just sense energy. Um, Goku, if something is troubling you…you should talk to someone. You can talk to your friends…or even to Chi Chi. I know Whis and Lord Beerus would—”

“I wish things were that easy.” Goku responded heavily, taking a seat on the ground and prompting Shin to do the same.

Shin adjusted himself to feel comfortable in the grass, feeling the sticks and branches break beneath him as he sat before his friend. He observed Goku’s expression, seeing how distant he looked. There was distress that he attempted to hide, but Shin was so easily able to peer through those walls. For the first time, emotionally speaking, Goku was vulnerable and Shin figured that was uncomfortable for him.

“What makes it difficult? Maybe you could tell me.” Shin pushed. “I know we’re friends but I don’t see you every day or even every month. Perhaps what you need is an outside perspective…someone who doesn’t know you all too well and can listen without a judgmental ear.”

Goku pondered on it for a few moments, his expression twisting as he visibly went over the possibilities. He eventually sighed, his eyes drifting toward the starry overcast above and then back at Shin.

“I’m glad you came to check on my Supreme Kai. You weren’t wrong about how I felt…about the world tournament and everything. I well—it sounds silly coming from me but—I’ve felt restless lately. Sometimes I have flashbacks of my past, of dying and leaving my family behind. Or seeing my family and friends die and it gets to me. Other times, when I think of fighting I almost get upset or even sick…Like, I _love_ fighting so this is dumb but, it’s like my mind and my heart don’t want me to fight, my body does. Sometimes, growing stronger can help but it also…I don’t know, it hurts. I’ve lost so much, and I’ve seen things I regret…I want to fight and be strong, but sometimes looking back at everything it kind of…” Goku drifted, looking for the right word.

Shin on the other hand felt his heart drop. He knew exactly how Goku felt and without hesitating, finished the sentence for him. “Scares you…” Shin responded.

“Stupid right? A guy like me being scared or even just tired of fighting—”

“Goku, it isn’t stupid at all.” Shin leaned forward and again, placed his hand upon Goku’s leg, eventually finding his hand. “It’s very normal what you’re going through.”

“Yeah but…now you see why I can’t tell the others? A Goku who’s tired of fighting? Vegeta would never let me live that down, let alone Lord Beerus or Whis. I guess that’s why I come out here, to fight even if it’s just with the trees. I’m afraid if I keep feeling like this, then I’ll just get weak and that would be embarrassing!”

Shin frowned. “You don’t have to tell them if you don’t want to. But Goku, I need you to understand that what you are feeling is normal considering all you’ve been through. It’s called trauma. You’ve experienced trauma due to the fact that well…you’ve died, you’ve pushed yourself to the limits and have lost your loved ones. It isn’t something that will go away with training or pushing yourself to the limit more.” 

Goku nodded. “But it’s not like I can stop fighting….everyone expects it. I have to get stronger, even Lord Beerus and Vegeta—”

“Stop thinking about other people for just a moment!” Shin didn’t mean to, but he raised his voice. As much as he enjoyed Goku’s company, this saiyain could be an idiot. Or at least, he was missing the main point of things. “Sometimes, you just need to think about yourself and how to make yourself better. Coming out here alone to train and force yourself to face your trauma is foolish Goku.”

There was silence for a while. Goku shifted his position so that now he was sitting next to Shin rather than across from him. Again, the stars occupied his attention as Shin saw their reflections upon his eyes. Even though Goku himself had been in space many times, he still looked at the night sky as a curious child would—in awe and excitement. That innocence that he retained, even after everything warmed Shin’s heart and beckoned him to comfort Goku more.

“After…after Buu pillaged my home planet, I was…I was heart broken. And it wasn’t just because I lost the only family I had known but also because I had to take up a position I wasn’t ready for. I still am not ready for it, and I don’t have a choice. I used to hate the title ‘Supreme Kai’ and all the duties that came with it. I still had to live on a planet where my family died in front of me, and I can’t grieve. I had to get over it, despite how I felt simply because I didn’t have a choice. And I still don’t. but you do and you don’t have to—”

“The moon is really bright isn’t it?” Goku asked, interrupting Shin’s speech. Truth be told, he couldn’t even get mad—Shin wouldn’t be shocked if Goku had ignored everything he said. He had a one track mind, and was evidently concerned with other things. “It kind of reminds me of you. It’s here at night, and even during the day even if we can’t see it. It’s always watching over us, like you came here and checked up on me when no one cared to.” Goku smiled. “You know, I never considered it—how you felt about Buu. You were cheering for him during the exposition matches but…It can’t be easy seeing him all the time.” 

Shin pondered, and found himself slowly coming to a realization. He didn’t dislike Buu, in fact he enjoyed his company to his extent. However, it was to a degree—hard. Seeing Buu meant remembering the family he lost and could never see again. Even Buu’s similar appearance to the Lord of Lords was difficult, no matter how many people lead him to believe they were fused.

“You put up with a lot too, you know.”

“There’s nothing else I can do. Buu is as much a part of your family as…anyone is.” Shin shrugged, though the realization began to weigh down upon him. “All I can do now …is just live with it.”

Goku chuckled. “Now you see my dilemma.” He took a deep breath and leaned backward, his back upon the forest ground as he got a better look at the sky. “All this fighting, this tragedy…it’s something I have to live with. If I don’t fight who else will?”

“Goku, you and I are different people. I was created for a sole purpose and it’s not something I can runaway from. You weren’t. Even if you are from a warrior species, that doesn’t mean it’s your duty to put yourself in danger all the time.” Shin chided. “If you wanted to stop fighting you could and it would be within your rights.”

Again, Goku let out a deep sigh. “I’m sorry Supreme Kai…I can’t ever do that. But talking to you, makes me feel a lot better. I don’t think that anyone would have ever…listened to me, not like you did. Thank you Supreme Kai really. I know that things can’t change but, talking makes me feel better. I thought I was silly for feeling like this you know, guess I’m not!”

“Goku…you can talk to me any time you want, you know.” Shin urged. “And perhaps, while you’ve resigned to fighting there can be things done to help you. Why don’t you come to my world sometimes, just to rest. No fighting or anything like that. You can regain your strength without having to worry about getting stronger.”

Goku visibly considered it and eventually nodded. “Alright, that sounds like a plan.”

Shin smiled and found himself laying in the grass beside Goku. “We may not be able to stop what destiny has in store for us Goku, but we can make it more bearable.” For a moment he went silent, his eyes now fixated on the moon and stars. Even as a Kai, who had a hand in creating them, he understood Goku’s fixation. They were truly breathtaking down below, underneath the tall trees that framed the forest.

“Hmm—there’s another reason you remind me of the moon.” Goku spoke, causing Shin to look over. He had forgotten that simple comparison Goku made earlier but was suddenly reminded.

“Another?” Shin pressed.

“The moon is kind of pretty—isn’t it? So are you! You’ve always been, I just thought it would be weird if I told you…sorry—”

“Thank you! It isn’t odd at all.” Shin said, his face boiling hot. It was no secret to himself that he harbored some feelings of affection toward Goku, he had for almost a year now. This small little comparison didn’t offend him in the least.

Shin exhaled. “We can go to my planet whenever you want.”

“That sounds good Supreme Kai but until then…let’s just stay here together. It’s a nice night out anyway.”

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you liked it! if so please tell me what you think. Also, just for some clarification, I’m not sure if Shin and Chi Chi officially met, I remember she obviously saw him during the Buu saga, so that’s what I’m going off of. Anyway, tell me what you think and leave kudos if you enjoyed it :D


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